Daniel Sky

From the moment I heard the opening riff to track 1 Somebodys Leavin with lyrics that refer to Bob Dylans like a rolling stone my first thought was This is awesome!

Take early Sloan, Bob Dylan and put them through a Sublime type reggae blender and youve got Daniel Sky

By the time I hit track 3 Low Down it was clear to me that this Alt/country album was made to make you feel good.

As the album progresses its clear that Sky has done his homework.

There are some Eagles meet Blue Rodeo type harmonies thrown in on some tracks with throw backs to the post 50s Elvis Costello movement.

You can even hear some Serena Ryder influenced sounds in there, which is appropriate when you look at the production credit. It was produced by Derek Downham (Beauties, Elliot Brood, Sarah Slean, Serena Ryder and many more)

There is something in this for the true music lover.

The Good: Great production! Amazing songs and musicianship.

The Bad: Its hard to tell if Sky will be able to make huge sales with this album. Its not generic enough to fit into any radio mold, however, thats not a bad thing for the true music lover.

The Ugly: Slows down a little in the middle, which may cause those with a short attention span to flip to the next track. But overall its a nice piece of work.
http://danielsky.com/



by: Darrell Shelley - The Scene Magazine

This guy’s the limit
Daniel Sky pulls some strings
Published November 24, 2011 by Christine Leonard in Music Previews

He may not have a superstar wife, a square on the European Walk of Fame or a Sinatra-sized collection of Bailey fedoras, but Toronto-based song craftsman Daniel Sky has a lot in common with honey-tongued pop icon Elvis Costello. Intermingling elements of folk, rock, punk, new wave and a bit of jazz and blues for good measure, Sky concocts a musical cocktail that is potently complex yet completely digestible. Thrust into the limelight of Toronto’s bustling bar scene with the release of his spirited 2008 debut On the Round, Sky founded the Daniel Sky Band and started booking bands at his own venue, Not My Dog. Now, he’s reaping the benefits of his hard work with Spider Milk.

“I don’t hesitate to say it was a better experience making this record than last time around,” Sky says. “I was much closer to the production end of the process thanks to my relationship with multi-instrumentalist Derek Downham (The Beauties, Andy Kim, Sarah Slean). He’s got his fingers in a lot of musical pies and in addition to being roommates we ran the bar Not My Dog together. We became friends by virtue of hanging out every night between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. and talking about our affinity for bands ELO, Traveling Wilburys and John Lennon. It became very clear that this was pre-production work for my next album. Sometimes you just can’t plan it.”

The surprisingly respectable result of too many nights spent killing bottles from behind the bar, Spider Milk is a multilayered work that conveys an attitude of modern nostalgia and cautious optimism. The featured images of arachnids and tight-rope-walking rhinos being somewhat sympathetic to the album’s sound.

“I chose to put a spider web on the cover because it’s a pretty and intricate series of patterns just like the songs on album,” Sky says. “The other aspect being the network of other musicians that I am fortunate enough to work with. The thread between us is the way we use music to communicate. Generally, I try to find a way up to energize the performance in almost a chemical way. I turn all the frustration and chaos into a chord that resonates with people. My metaphors are my own, but as personal as they are, I use them in a familiar way. I believe holding onto that uniqueness is the key to finding one’s way out of darkness.”

Originally a native of Winnipeg, Sky’s love of mountain and prairie imagery comes alive as his emotional lyrics and catchy melodies attempt to capture the austere majesty and timeless beauty of our nation’s topography.

The enterprising singer-songwriter plans to conscript some local talent for his upcoming performance at the Ironwood. Thanks to his connections to friends, fans and fellow musicians, Sky has had no problems finding willing compatriots to take up his torch songs as he takes his one-man Spider Milk show on the road.

“I must say, it’s cool to have access to such a talented network of people who know people, as I make my way across Canada,” Sky says. “I called an old music buddy in Calgary on my way into town and asked if he could recommend a good rhythm section. He got back to me with the names of Jeff Sulima and Peter Loughlin before I’d even arrived.” - FFwd Magazine

Daniel Sky
On the Round
By David McPherson

After years of slingin’ shots, serving the music community of Toronto’s Parkdale (at popular artist hangout Not My Dog), Daniel Sky steps out from behind the bar and into the studio with resounding results. Released independently and produced by man about Hogtown David Baxter (Justin Rutledge, Bob Snider), Sky shows on this debut that all those years of promoting and listening to other roots musicians have paid off. Birds, the imagery of flight and dreams are the themes that weave together these nine songs. On the Round features a fine collection of other TO roots musicians, including the accordion of Treasa Levasseur and the upright bass of Brian Kobayakawa (Creaking Tree String Quartet). The title cut sets the tone; it’s an emotive song filled with rich instrumentation. The lo-fi “Paisley Sadie” showcases Sky’s skilful harp playing. Other highs include “Way Back Home,” which speaks of a “whisky-tinted dream,” and “Prairie Sky,” where the songwriter finds solace in the wondrous beauty of nature’s embrace. If this debut is any indication, Sky will be spending more time strumming chords and taking centre stage at bars across this country in the months to come, rather than serving whisky sours to fellow music lovers. (Independent)

- Exclaim!

Winnipeg born, Toronto based based folk/pop musician Daniel Sky has caught the spirit of George Harrison/ Travelling Wilburys and Stealers Wheel in the web of his influences on his latest CD Spider Milk.

He has delivered on catchy cornucopia of ’70s style folk pop music.

Spiders Milk is a delicacy for the ear right from the start of the George Harrison meets the Clash (similar to their song “Stay Free,” ) style folk rocker “Somebody’s Leavin’” and carries a Travelling Wilburys/ Electric Light Orchestra/ Nik Kershaw feel forward on “Riverside,” before slowing things down for the countryish “Low Down.”

His laid back ’70s sound comes to the forefront of "We're So Fine” powered by an addictive piano riff and the catchy “do,do do,do do,” chorus, which carries through the next three tracks. He picks up the pace on another catchy number “ Through the Blue and ends with a really entertaining pop song called “ In Trouble Again.” - L.A Beat